Featured Reviews

Red Barrel - Wine2Trade Portfolio

01 January,2011

Red Barrel Vineyard is the micro boutique Hawke’s Bay
vineyard, winery and label, based on Te Mata Road just out of Havelock North,
with Te Mata Estate and Black Barn as neighbours. Owners John Lockie, a sharebroker, and his
wife Juliette who have had a Hawke’s Bay winegowing background in the
‘Stockbridge’ and ‘Balthazar’ brands, purchased the former Zepelin vineyard in
2010. They immediately took out the
Cabernet Sauvignon and replanted with three clones of Chardonnay to supplement
the existing Merlot and Syrah vines which were planted in 1997.

A cellar door is operated at the home vineyard and winery
facility, and a catered venue facility is available. The wines made to date are Merlot, Syrah and
a red blend of these two varieties, a rosé, and Chardonnay.
The wines are made by Dave McKee, winemaker at Black Barn, and with a
projected maximum production of 1,000 cases from the 2.6 ha of vines, it is a
true small-batch operation.
www.redbarrel.co.nz

Archived tasting notes on wines no longer commercially
available can be seen by clicking here

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

Red Barrel Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2015

Chardonnay from New Zealand – Hawke’s Bay

18-/20

Bright, light yellow colour with light green tints. The nose is very tight and firmly bound with
a concentrated core of white stonefruits entwined with deep aromas of gunflinty
mineral reduction, along with nutty oak and a little smoke. Medium-full bodied, the palate is tightly
packed and very well-concentrated with firm and deep flavours of vibrant and
succulent white stonefruit flavers layered with an amalgam of nutty oak and
gunflint reductive notes. The palate has
power, vigour and drive, and the wine carries along a fine-textured line with
fresh, underlying acidity adding to the energy.
The wine leads to an elegant, sustained finish of stonefruits, nuts and
flint. This is a powerful and
well-concentrated Chardonnay with intense flavours of stonefruits, nut and
gunflint on a vigorous palate. Match
with grilled and roasted pork and veal dishes over the next 4-5 years. Clones Mendoza, 15 and 95, hand-picked and
WBP, fermented in French barriques and puncheons to 13.5% alc., the wine aged
11 months in 50% new oak, undergoing batonnage and >70% MLF. 18.0-/20 Apr 2018
RRP $30.00

Disclaimer: This wine is distributed by ‘Wine2Trade’, the
company under which ‘Raymond Chan Wine Reviews’ operates

Brilliant straw-yellow colour with lemon-green hues, lighter
on the edge. This has a full, broad and
voluminous nose with a concentrated core of citrus fruits and white stonefruit
aromas entwined with creamy, nutty barrel-ferment notes, a thread of youthful
reduction and a little toasty oak.
Medium-full bodied, the tightly bound and intense flavours of citrus and
white stonefruits form a firm and fine core, unveiling creamy and nutty
barrel-ferment flavours along with a little minerally reduction and oak
toast. The mouthfeel is youthfully firm
and fine-textured, and is enlivened by fresh, lacy acidity. As the wine flows, the minerally reduction
emerges and carries to a long and sustained, fine-textured finish. This is a firm and finely concentrated
Chardonnay with citrus and stonefruit flavours entwined with creamy
barrel-ferment, lemon curd MLF, and reductive and toasty oak notes. Serve with barbecued, grilled and roasted
pork dishes over the next 4-5 years. Clones
Mendoza, 15 and 95, hand-picked and WBP, fermented in French barriques and
puncheons to 13.5% alc., the wine aged 11 months in 50% new oak, undergoing
batonnage and >70% MLF. 17.5/20 Feb 2017
RRP $30.00

Disclaimer: This wine is distributed by ‘Wine2Trade’, the
company under which ‘Raymond Chan Wine Reviews’ operates

Red Barrel Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2014

Merlot from New Zealand – Hawke’s Bay

18+/20

Full, even, dark and deep ruby-red colour, a little lighter
on edge. The nose is softly full with
well-packed, deep aromas of ripe black plums and dark-red and black berry
fruits with an amalgam of earth, herbs and spicy oak. Medium-full bodied, the palate is well-proportioned
with concentrated, lusciously ripe flavours of dark-red plums and berry fruit
entwined with subtle notes of herbs, earth and nutty , spicy oak. The mouthfeel is moderately rich, but deep
and rounded and supported by fine, grainy tannin structure with integrated,
soft acidity adding to the accessibility.
The flavours flow with good linearity to a rich plummy, earthy and spicy
finish. This is a rich Merlot with dark
plum and berry flavours along with a layering of earth, herbs and oak spice on
a rounded, fine structured palate. Match
with roast lamb, beef and venison, and semi hard cheeses over the next 6-7
years. Hand-picked fruit fermented to
13.5% alc., the wine spending 24 days on skins and aged 14 months in one-third
new French oak then given a further 6 months on lees in tank. 18.0+/20
Feb 2017 RRP $25.00

Disclaimer: This wine is distributed by ‘Wine2Trade’, the
company under which ‘Raymond Chan Wine Reviews’ operates

Red Barrel Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2015

Merlot from New Zealand – Hawke’s Bay

17.5+/20

Dark, deep, black-hued ruby-red colour with good depth, a little
lighter on the rim. The nose is a little
restrained but unfolds to show good depth and fruit focus, with softly packed,
harmoniously interwoven aromas of dark-red and black berry and plum fruit with
nuances of dark herbs, a hint of tobacco and nutty oak suggestions. Medium-full bodied, the palate has a rich and
positive heart of gently sweet dark-red and black berry fruit with earthy plums
and dark herbal elements with a little florality emerging. The fruit is supported by moderately grainy
tannin extraction lending structure and grip, with lacy acidity lending
freshness and energy to the mouthfeel. The
wine carries to an elegant finish. This is a sweetly rich
Merlot with dark-red berry and plum flavours, and subtle herb notes on a grainy
textured palate with freshness. Match with
roasted red meats over the next 5-6 years. 100%
Merlot from the ‘Red Barrel’ home vineyard, hand-picked and fermented to 13.5%
alc., the wine spending 27 days on skins and aged 18 months in tank and 15% new
French oak, blended and given a further 6 months in tank. 17.5+/20
Nov 2018 RRP $25.00

Disclaimer: This wine is distributed by ‘Wine2Trade’, the
company under which ‘Raymond Chan Wine Reviews’ operates

Red Barrel Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2015

Syrah from New Zealand – Hawke’s Bay

17.5+/20

Dark, deep ruby-red colour with slight purple hues, lighter
on the rim. The nose is elegantly
proportioned with firmly concentrated aroma of blackberries and dark
raspberries along with black and white pepper elements, liquorice, exotic
spices and a layering of cedary oak.
Medium-full bodied, the palate has a rounded but concentrated heart of
dark raspberries and blackberries entwined with white and black pepper, unfolding
exotic spice notes. A layer of cedary
oak is melded with the fruit adding to the richness of the flavour and firmness
to the fine-grained tannins. The wine
flows smoothly, the acidity balanced and integrated, carrying the rich flavours
to a long, soft, fine-textured finish with pepper, spices and cedar. This is an elegantly concentrated, soft and
fine textured Syrah with blackberry, raspberry, pepper and spices with an
overlay of cedary oak. Match with lamb and
venison, and Middle Eastern fare over the next 5-7 yeas. Fruit hand-picked and
sorted, and fermented to 13.4% alc., the wine aged 22 months in 33% new French
oak barriques. 225 cases made. 17.5+/20
Sep 2017 RRP $28.00

Disclaimer: This wine is distributed by ‘Wine2Trade’, the
company under which ‘Raymond Chan Wine Reviews’ operates

Red Barrel ‘Reserve’ Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2013

Syrah from New Zealand – Hawke’s Bay

19-/20

A barrel selection wine.
Fruit from the ‘House’ block of the Red Barrel vineyard, Havelock North,
hand-picked and fermented to 14.0% alc., the wine aged 18 months in 50% new
French oak barrels. Dark, deep, black-hued
ruby-red colour, lighter edged. This has
a full and powerful nose with concentrated aromas of ripe, opulent and vibrant
blackberry and black plum fruit interwoven with layers of exotic spices, black
pepper and toasty oak. Medium-full
bodied, the flavours of black berried and plummy fruit flavours are ripe and
exude decadence, and are elegantly concentrated forming a strong and rich core,
unfolding layers of exotic Asian spices, black pepper, liquorice and toasty
oak. The mouthfeel is opulent and
vibrant, the acidity providing vitality and freshness, and refined tannins lend
a smooth, supple flow. The fruit
sweetness and succulence is beautifully balanced by the extraction which
carries the wine to a very long and sustained finish of plums, spices and
liquorice. This is an elegantly
concentrated, vibrantly luscious Syrah with exotic plum, spice and oak flavours
and a fine-grained, smooth flowing palate.
Serve with slow-cooked game meat dishes over the next 8-10+ years. 50 dozen made. 19.0-/20
Sep 2015 RRP $58.00

Disclaimer: This wine is distributed by ‘Wine2Trade’, the
company under which ‘Raymond Chan Wine Reviews’ operates